


Poisoned View

by ForeverRed



Category: The Avengers (Marvel) - All Media Types
Genre: Alternate Universe, Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, F/M
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-05-26
Updated: 2020-08-21
Packaged: 2021-03-02 19:47:57
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 7
Words: 9,526
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24392287
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ForeverRed/pseuds/ForeverRed
Summary: Natasha has had a relatively normal life. Born in Russia, trained as a ballet dancer only to face a drastic injury that changed her life course. In America during physical therapy, she met a wonderful man named Clint and not long later they were married. Her injury has always lingered to the point that a physical lifestyle was out of the question, but her husband never seemed to mind. He made enough money for the both of them. He was an agent for a government agency but she has never asked many questions about it.That all changes when a mysterious figure named Loki abducts her and takes off the blindfold she didn't know she had.
Relationships: Clint Barton/Natasha Romanov, Loki/Natasha Romanov, Sharon Carter/Steve Rogers
Comments: 29
Kudos: 42





	1. Find A Happy Place

**Author's Note:**

> This is an idea that has been stuck in my head for a while, and as I am currently working on a different novel, I wanted to get this idea written out to see if it actually goes anywhere. Characters will be slightly OOC, and this will be a dark story. As I update I will add appropriate tags for warnings, characters, and events. Feedback is greatly appreciated!
> 
> I own none of the characters, and all events are fictional.

“You almost ready?” Sharon Carter asked through the closed door.

  
Natasha Romanoff checked her reflection once more, making sure that her hair had listened to her and remained straight. It had taken far too long to tame her curls into silken smoothness, and she hoped that it would stay that way. It was going to be a long day, she was helping Sharon go shopping for her wedding, to catalogue everything that she wanted for her big day. And knowing her tastes, they would be high-end establishments where the management took one look at those who walked through the door and rated if they were worth the time based on how they appeared. With her red hair smooth and glistening, along with light makeup, diamonds, and her designer slacks and blouse, she figured she could pass.

  
She grabbed her purse and opened her bedroom door, smiling brightly at her friend. Sharon, as usual, was adorned in luxury. Chanel earrings, perfectly styled hair, and a dress that hugged her slim, curvy form. “I’m ready.”

“Great!” Sharon checked her watch, the diamonds catching the light and casting rainbow dots along the wall. “We better get going.”

  
They climbed down the stairs, leaving the house and getting into Sharon’s car – a blue Mercedes Roadster – chatting about what Sharon’s vision for her wedding. It was going to be extravagant, which only made sense for not only the bride but for the groom. A war hero whose celebrity status had skyrocketed with documentaries, biographical books, and endless televised interviews. Steve Rogers had been elected as mayor only a year ago and the press surrounding this would be momentous. It had to be perfect, and it had to be planned to the most minute detail or else it would be a huge social faux pau. Natasha had no idea why Sharon had chosen her to be her maid of honor of all people. Natasha’s own wedding had been small, cute, with only a total of fifty people in attendance at a barn. But she wasn’t going to complain, after all she would be part of a fairy tale wedding and thank God she wasn’t going to have to deal with the majority of the stress – or financial burden – of it.

  
Natasha pulled the binder from the back of the car, putting it on her lap and flipping through the pages. The color scheme was lilac and beige, with hints of a powdered blue that linked directly to Steve. They would be hitting a couple shops to inventory décor for the ceremony, reception, along with the parties before. There were a dozen stores that they needed to hit, they had already looked online, but they wanted to see everything in person. Natasha personally felt that some of the stores would be a waste of time, but Sharon wanted as many options as possible, so she didn’t argue.

  
“Have your heard from Clint?” Sharon asked as she turned on her blinker to make a left turn.

  
“No, but I’m sure he’s fine,” Natasha said simply. She was used to it, whenever he was on a case, he would disappear sometimes weeks at a time. It had only been three days and she had long learned not to let that radio silence worry her. It was part of his job, the secrecy. Despite her curious nature, Natasha had learned some things were just not privy to her.

  
“I hope Fury lets him have the time off to make it to the wedding,” Sharon voiced, her face stony.

  
“He will, the wedding is months away. He has room for several more cases before he has to take time off,” Natasha pointed out. “He wouldn’t miss this for the world.”

  
Sharon glanced at her out of the corner of her eye, “Right, because Clint loves social gatherings.”

  
“True,” Natasha laughed, “But Steve is one of his best friends, and I’m the maid of honor, so in all technicality he has to be there.”

  
“I wish he could be a groomsman,” Sharon pouted.

  
“I know, but his job won’t let him,” it was one of the few frustrating things. No photos. Sure, she had a few of them together, stashed away and out of sight. But overall, Clint’s job restricted him from being in photos. It was a security reason for an agent that worked for the government on high profile cases. It wouldn’t do good for his face to be plastered everywhere so that criminals could recognize when he was in town.

  
Sharon pulled into a parking garage, pausing to get the ticket that showed they could be there for four hours. Perfect timing to hit two shops. Sharon drove up three levels before finding a space that she liked and parking. The duo took the elevator back to the ground floor before hitting the mall across the street. The place was crowded with teenagers that were off from school due to summer break, but that also meant the wedding shops were near empty. They had just missed season for weddings and had taken full advantage of it.

  
The day continued in this routine, the duo going through shop after shop, selecting a few standout items but overall just checking the quality and comparing between stores. Natasha’s leg burned from standing on her feet all day and she caught sight of herself in one of the mirrors and saw that her face was slightly paler than usual, pinched with concealed pain. She didn’t voice complaint though; she had expected this and when they stopped for lunch, she took some painkillers to try and ease it. Her old ballet injury had never fully healed, limiting to her a limp at best, and bedridden at worst. Her health had never been the same, only worsening when five years ago the doctors had diagnosed her with endometriosis and had concluded that removal of her ovaries was her last option. She had always kept herself slightly underweight to protect her leg, but with that surgery, her health just seemed to be in constant decline. Clint and her doctors were the only ones who knew, she had wanted to protect her friends from the facts as she didn’t want to be looked at with pity.

  
Sharon was so preoccupied with the planning that she didn’t notice as Natasha trailed further behind and spoke less. She figured it was due to the fact that Natasha had grown wary throughout the day which was part of the truth. They had three more stores to hit, thus they climbed back into the car and continued. It was nearing four o’clock and traffic was starting to get more congested, something that irritated Sharon. “I’ll never understand why they call it rush hour when we are just sitting here.”

  
“With all the people that leave early or late, it never has made sense why things get like this,” Natasha agreed.

  
Sharon checked the GPS on her phone, “There’s a side road that could get us there quicker.”

  
“Take it, the shops will close before we can get to them if we stay here,” Natasha said.

  
Sharon turned on her blinker and turned right, hitting heavy traffic until about two turns later when the road finally cleared. Natasha rolled down her window as the other woman whooped, “Ah, bless Google maps for helping me out.”

  
Natasha laughed, “They must know your desperation.”

  
“No one wants a bridezilla,” Sharon said seriously.

  
Natasha agreed silently looking at the buildings as they drove past, their reflection in the tinted glass warping as they sped past. Her watch buzzed on her wrist and she looked down to see what the alert was for when suddenly, there was screeching tires and screaming metal and they were no longer going forward but sideways. Natasha registered that Sharon’s shoulder was touching her and that the driver’s side of the car was caved in before they collided into the corner of a building and coming to an abrupt stop. Natasha blearily looked over to see that a car had rammed straight into them and was backing up. Sharon was wheezing, with shaking hands struggling to unbuckle her seat belt. Her eyes found Natasha’s, “Get out, get out now.”

  
“Wha – “ Sharon reached over and unbuckled her seatbelt too, pushing her violently towards the undamaged passenger door.

  
With a hiss, Natasha pushed open the door, losing her balance immediately and toppling to the ground. She staggered back to her feet only to duck again as gunshots began to ring. Sharon climbed out of the car, holding a gun and covered in blood. She looked entirely different, none of the posh, kind woman that Natasha had known over the years. The woman in front of her was positively feral. Sharon fired several more shots before grabbing Natasha’s arm and dragging her into an alley. Natasha’s leg burned something fierce, but she had no moment to catch her breath as Sharon set a punishing pace. They raced down the alley, turning into another one that lead to a bustling street. Just as they were reaching that point, a figure walked calmly into the alley. Sharon yanked her to a stop, aiming her gun and firing. One of the people walking behind the man – a civilian – screamed and fell as she was hit. The man revealed his own gun and fired. Sharon shoved Natasha into another alley and yelled, “Keep running! Don’t stop!”

  
Natasha hesitated for a moment before obeying and racing off, the adrenaline kicking in and keeping her pain and fatigue at bay. She raced down the alley, finding herself on another street. She looked behind her and saw that someone was following. Without thinking she burst into the street, barely avoiding getting hit by passing cars blaring their horns. She entered another alley, desperate and struggling to pull out her phone. She need to call Clint; he would know what to do. She continued running, eventually losing sight of her pursuer. She didn’t stop though, too terrified. But despite this, her leg finally gave out from under her and she toppled to the ground painfully. She cried out as the cement scraped her skin. She was still holding her phone, the screen now cracked. But it was still working. With shaking hands, she unlocked it and found Clint’s name, before she could press call a voice interrupted her, “I wouldn’t do that.”

  
She looked up to see a man dressed in a black suit staring down at her with vibrant green eyes. Natasha recoiled in fear, her thumb hovering over the call button. “Where is my friend?”

  
“Taken care of,” he said, a smirk curving his lips.

  
Natasha’s thumb fell on to the call button, the instant it did his face twisted into dark rage. She screamed as he reached for her, his hands grasping her roughly and heaving her up. He twisted her wrist painfully, causing her phone to clatter to the ground. She writhed violently against him, but he barely seemed moved, “Well, that wasn’t the plan, but this works too.”

  
She could hear someone – Clint – talking through her phone though she couldn’t make out the words. She screamed again, this time his name, “Clint! CLINT! Help me!”

  
“Too late,” the man said loudly, probably intending for her husband to hear. He drew her closer, wrapping his arms around her so that she was crushed against the man’s chest. She pushed against him to no avail, and the last thing she heard was his chuckle before black shadows surrounded them.


	2. Silver

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Natasha has found herself in the home of Loki, who expects her to know things that she doesn't. Including a secret that threatens her life.

The shadows vanished as soon as they appeared and Natasha hissed, yanking against the man holding her. With a sigh, he released her just as she tried to shove away resulting in her collapsing to the floor. She went to get to her feet but froze when she realized that it was not a sidewalk that she had fallen on, but smooth wooden floor. She glanced around and saw walls of a house, painted beige with paintings accenting them. There was a rug, patterned with the colors green and blue with a coffee table sitting on it, a couch next to it. She gasped scrambling backwards. She was in a living room, and the man standing above her, her must have. She had to have been drugged, because this wasn’t possible.

The man laughed, the sound sharp and heavy with malice. “You are trying to rationalize the sudden shift between there and here. You think that your human mind and your science will be able to explain this.”

“Well how about you explain it to me,” she spat, her eyes burning and her heart racing. The pain in her leg was stealing her breath but she would rather focus on the anger. It was tainted by fear, but it was something stronger than the pain that weakened her.

“Perhaps what they say about those with red hair is true,” he admonished, a smile twisting the corners of his lips. He crouched in front of her, his pale eyes searching hers, “I would explain to you, but you would deny, you would advocate fiercely how impossible it is that which I explain to you. So instead I will tell you my name. To give you a sense of satisfaction, and perhaps comfort. I am Loki.”

“I would tell you my name but that would be silly given the fact that you hunted me down,” she hissed. She moved away from him, her back hitting a wall. “You want to give me satisfaction, _comfort_? How about you give me answers? What do you want from me?”

“You want answers,” Loki stood, walking over to the kitchen area. He grabbed a metal kettle, filling it with water before placing it on the stove. “And yet your head is filled with lies. My answer is truth, and yet you do not know what that truth is. Not even a part of it, even though you are in the middle of it. You are a pawn that I needed to have, and now I do. If you are loved and cared for, they will do anything to get you back.”

“I am a hostage and you want money,” Natasha said.

He laughed again, “If only that were so simple.”

“You’re mind games are fucking _exhausting_ ,” she said through clenched teeth.

The tea kettle began to screech, he quickly removed it off of the burner and poured into cups that had a bag of tea already waiting. “Perhaps you should ease your temper and I will be more forward with you. You cannot gain knowledge with a head that is so closed off.”

He walked back over to her, causing her to flinch. He paused, placing the other cup on the floor before walking over to the couch and sitting, the cushions exhaling upon his weight. There was a silence that followed, because she did not want the tea, did not want to lose her anger, and she refused to give in to the taunts that she wasn’t knowledgeable about her own life. This had to be about Clint’s work or Steve’s political ventures. It didn’t matter which, or even how much money Loki demanded of them. Defeat settled like a cold stone in her belly. She had seen his face, he was not desiring to hide it. She was doomed, she would not make it out of here alive. And so, Natasha curled in on herself, pressed against the wall.

Loki ran a hand over his face, placing the book that he had been reading to the side. The woman – Natasha – had fallen asleep, her face still held strain. Her tea long forgotten and cold. He watched her, curious as to who she was. She seemed entirely innocent, as if she had no idea. How could she have no idea? He didn’t know, but her sincerity had puzzled him. Her defiance had made him smile. He waved his hand before him, whispering softly. A moment later, the strain that had been pinching her features softened. He stood and wandered over to her, looking down. She was thin, startingly so. That in combination with her short stature made her look simply minuscule. He knew about her details, the surface of who she was in text. But now, she was different then what the file had said about her. He knelt, looking closer upon her face.

There was a touch against his wards, hesitant and asking. Without moving, he lowered them. The front door unlocked, opening and the clicking of heels sounded. When the door closed, he raised the wards again. He looked over to see Hela, hanging her coat up. She was wearing a glistening green dress, her long hair intricately braided around her head. She slipped off her heels, padding towards him. Her makeup heavy eyes looked down at the Natasha, “It was successful, that is good.”

“She doesn’t know anything,” Loki said, allowing the disappointment to show on his face.

“It makes sense that they would hide things from her,” Hela acknowledged, beginning to unbind her hair. “Did you have to make her sleep?”

“She fell asleep on her own, but I had to help to make it deeper,” Loki said.

“She does not need to know the reason as to why she is here to be useful,” Hela wrinkled her nose. “I hope they give us what we want soon. She smells ill.”

“Ill?” Loki looked up sharply at her.

“The air reeks with it, and she isn’t just thin, she is poisoned.” Hela glanced at him as if he was an idiot.

Which he was, he had seen her limping, had seen her fatigued when she shouldn’t have been. He reached for her leg, pulling up the fabric of the pants to reveal the scar along her shin. It wasn’t pale and neat like most scars that are near a decade old. No, it was red with anger, flushed with blood and pain. It wrapped around her leg as if trying to squeeze it off. Loki reared back, his teeth clenched. Hela looked over his shoulder and sighed, “She is chained.”

“How can a wound from when she was fifteen still be this terrible?” Loki asked, rubbing his hands together. He whispered softly a spell, the magic kissing his skin. He flattened his hands, hovering them over her body. The scar on her leg glowed briefly, and as he trailed it over her, varying parts glowed. Her ankle, knee, and hip most brightly along with the scar. Her organs such as her lungs and ovaries glowed, a few veins glimmered, and then her wrist glowed most brightly of all. Even Hela was silent as he fully sat down and the two stared in shock at the girl before them.

She was dying. She was being poisoned.

She had already been a hostage, a prisoner before Loki had taken hold of her.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I hope you are enjoying this so far! I have a rough idea for this story, but that is why I am experimenting with this. Its going to get a lot more fun I think :)


	3. Forty-Eight Hours

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> It's the next morning, and there's a deadline. And a choice.

Natasha had woken up in a room at the back of the house that had minimal furnishings. A bed, a nightstand, and with a dresser. Loki had given her some extra clothing but she refused tow ear it, instead choosing to hand wash her clothes while in the shower and letting them dry before she put them on again.

Usually when she slept, she would wake up and the pain in her leg would be minimal. But the next morning her leg was still red and swollen, the pain breathtaking. She wanted some painkillers or even something topical to put on the scar to try and ease the inflammation. But she didn’t dare ask for any help. She didn’t want to show any weakness to her captors.

There were a few books that she had been given, and she had quickly decided that reading them was better than just sleeping all day or sitting and staring at the wall. There was a soft knock on the door, a female voice slipping through, “Are you decent?”

The door opened before she was given the opportunity to confirm or deny. The voice belonged to a woman that was nearly as tall as Loki, with pale skin and eyes, long hair hanging over her shoulders. She leaned against the doorframe, observing. Natasha snapped her book shut, “What do you want?”

“Oh, the same thing that everyone wants,” the woman walked in, running her fingers along the surface of the dresser. “Money, power, _immortality_.”

“I don’t think everyone wants immortality,” Natasha frowned slightly. “Who are you?”

“Hela,” she smiled as she neared the window. “And who doesn’t want immortality?”

“One life is hell enough,” Natasha snapped, her eyes narrowing. “What are you on about?”

“Oh, you need to come out into the living room. For food and also your husband is on the phone.” Hela smirked.

Natasha got to her feet, gritting her teeth to hide her wince. She limped out of the room, out to the hall. She could hear Loki’s voice, though he was speaking too quietly to discern what the words were. She rounded the corner to see him pacing by the windows. He paused, glancing at her. He smiled, “Oh, it looks like the sleeping beauty is finally awake. Would you like to speak to her?”

He walked over to her, she watched him warily, and unsure of what the game was that he was playing. His eyes danced with mischief as he stood before her, “How about this? You can speak to her when you tell her the truth about her bracelet. Don’t want to talk about that? Why don’t you tell her why you actually married her?”

Natasha rocked slightly as she stared at him, her heart pounding so hard that it felt as though her ribs were going to break. The backs of her eyes began to burn as she heard Clint’s voice through the phone, yelling at Loki. His voice was too garbled to make out clearly but she could understand the tone, the rage. Loki’s eyes narrowed slightly, and he took a step back as he barked out a laugh, “So I take it you don’t want to talk to her then? Don’t want to tell her the truth? Fine, if you don’t want to talk to her, you’ll just have to take my word for it that she is A-Okay. And you’ll have to give me what I want in forty-eight hours. Or else there will be some very dire consequences.”

He hung up quickly, and positively beamed at her, “That went as well as expected. Though I will have to come up with something even more dire than uncovering that your life is a lie. Perhaps the dire should be you leaving your fake husband, starting a new life. Or maybe I will have you fall madly in love with me instead.” With the last sentence he leaned to be close to her face, smiling broadly.

And then she slapped him.

His face cracked to the side, and Natasha didn’t give him an opportunity to recover before she was upon him. Punching, slapping, scratching at him before finally shoving him down to the ground. She bolted then, heading for the door. Once she was out this door, she could get back to her life. And she could forget all of this forget everything and go back to the way things were.

She didn’t make it to the door.

She was running one moment and the next; her back was against the wall. Her spine cracking against the surface, the sudden force shaking the wall and causing pictures to fall down and scatter across the floor. Natasha couldn’t breathe, from the shock of it, the pain of it. Loki was mere centimeters from her face, she could hear his jaw pop from his teeth grinding together. Despite her assault there was no evidence of it other than his skin being slightly redder than before.

“Listen to me, dear little Natty,” he leaned in even closer to whisper in her ear, the tone filled with malice. “Try that again and all of this nice treatment will be over before it even started. You really are as stupid as you look to fall for it.”

Natasha pushed against him, managing to rock him back slightly as she spit in his face. “Fuck you! Whoever you think you are, whatever you want, fuck you. You’re just scum that has to do desperate things because you’re too stupid to actually achieve anything in life.”

Loki stepped back fully away from her, wiping off his face. He chuckled softly, “Ah, there you go playing the smart card. A card that you don’t have in your pocket.”

When he struck her, she didn’t see it. She couldn’t have because it was too fast. But she did feel it, even as she crumpled against the floor. Tears sprung from her eyes even as he lifted her up off the floor by her hair. She screamed as he yanked her towards the living room, throwing her on to the floor. His knee met her chest as he kneeled upon her. He leaned in close to her ear, “He will not come for you, he never would have and now he most definitely won’t.”

Hands grabbed at her wrist, nails digging into her flesh. Natasha looked to see Hela grabbing at her bracelet. She looked up, “This might hurt.”

“What are you doing? What are you doing? What is that? _What is happening_?” she screamed, screamed so hard that she felt her throat tear as green flowed all around her, caressing and burning her. It felt as though her insides were being torn apart, her leg was shattering over and over again until the bone wasn’t even ash. They were tearing at her, ripping her apart. What was happening? What were they doing to her?

“We’re saving your life, Natasha.”

“Everything is going to change.”

“You’ll see with new eyes.”

“Trust me.”

“Just trust me, Natasha.”

“What are we going to do?” Clint gripped the edge of the table so hard that his knuckles were white.

“How did they figure it out?” Steve asked, the crease between his brows so deep that it looked as though his very skull was cracked.

“They didn’t figure it out, they have magic on their side and could see what was on her wrist.” Sharon ran a hand through her hair.

“You have forty-eight hours to make a decision,” Steve said as he watched Clint.

“Is it a decision?” Clint ran a hand over his face. “Is it really a choice?”

“All this does is accelerate the inevitable,” Sharon pointed out as she poured a glass of bourbon. “The question is, will Natasha die before or after the forty-eight hours deadline?”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I hope this was fun for y'all. I worked hard on it but it was difficult this week. IRL is pretty rough right now, but there is still support. This past week I have gotten nonstop notifications on my socials of pure hate, telling me to shut up and to off myself. It's been rough but my one reprieve has been working on my writing and the support that y'all have given me. Thank you for that. I hope you're staying safe everyone, that you're happy. 
> 
> Again, thank you for the support so far!


	4. Deal

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Clint has made a decision. 
> 
> Natasha has no idea what it is.

When Natasha woke up again, she could tell that something had changed. The sun peaked in the room through the slits in the curtains, warming her face and her legs. She looked over at her wrist to find the skin bare. It hadn’t been a horrible nightmare. As she raised her hand to her face, this was further confirmed by her swollen cheek and lip.

It was when she went to stand that she noticed something different. She froze, her heart beginning to thunder in her chest. Natasha couldn’t explain, she didn’t even know how to begin to formulate her feelings. She wasn’t in pain. There was tightness in her leg, as if it were sore. But otherwise, she could put her leg on it. And as she straightened her stance, she braced preparing for the inevitable…and it never came. She quickly took off her pants, desperate to see what was happening. And as the fabric fell to the floor, she rocked backwards in shock. Her eyes began to burn with unshed tears. The scar on her leg was no longer swollen and it was a faint pink. And as she inhaled, she didn’t even know how or where to begin with this, she felt better. She hadn’t realized in the years of the constant pain in her leg, how terrible she had felt in general.

It wasn’t until there was a sharp sting in her cheek from the tears spilling over the abrasion that she realized she was crying. Natasha quickly escaped her room, slipping into the bathroom and closing the door as quietly as possible. She rinsed her face off with cool water, drying it carefully to avoid irritating the skin even more. She took another calming breath, staring at her wrist. In the bright light she could see that the only evidence that she had worn a bracelet was the tan line but also there was a thin pale scar, wrapping all around. Natasha began to feel nauseated, not understanding what was going on.

She left the bathroom, slipping back into her room. She took off the rest of her clothes, kicking them into the corner of the room. And against her judgment, she changed into the clothes that Loki had grabbed for her. She didn’t want to take the time to handwash her clothes and wait for them to dry. She wanted answers. Plus, today was the deadline. The day that Clint had to make a decision and she didn’t have time to wait around.

She left her room for the final time and headed towards the kitchen, assuming that was where Loki would be. The clinking of silverware and the closing of cabinets confirmed this. She rounded the corner, spotting him making himself breakfast. He had pulled out jam and cream cheese with a butter knife resting on the latter. There was a snap, two pieces of a freshly toasted bagel popping up. He pulled them out, quickly decorating the surface of them.

“If you want your own bagel, all you have to do is ask,” he said.

Natasha flinched slightly at being caught. “I don’t want a bagel.”

Even as she said that, she knew it was a lie. The rumble in her stomach confirmed this, and Loki’s smirk let her know that he had heard it. Regardless, he simply began to eat his own bagel and watched her. “How are you feeling?”

“What happened yesterday?” Natasha asked.

“Well, your husband was being a tool and you decided to start screaming as if your life depended on it and here we are,” Loki replied.

“That’s not what I mean and you know it,” Natasha snapped.

“You can ask your husband when he picks you up tonight,” Loki remarked, his eyes black. “He can give you the answers that he has kept from you all these years.”

Natasha crossed her arms over her chest, “He agreed to the deal? What is he trading me for?”

“Again, you can ask him,” Loki replied.

“You know I won’t be able to,” Natasha remarked.

“That’s on you two and your relationship.”

“This has nothing to do with my relationship!” Natasha yelled, throwing her hands into the air before pointing a finger at him. “I’ve seen both yours and Hela’s faces, I know how this works. When you can see the face of the criminal, they don’t let you go alive.”

Loki put down the last piece of his bagel and smiled before abruptly disappearing. Natasha flinched, looking around wildly. A voice whispered in her ear, “Hela and I have been around far longer than you have been alive, and we have made our fair share of enemies. We have never needed to hide our faces before and we don’t now.”

She spun around to see him standing behind her, without thinking she threw a punch at his face. But it never landed, passing through his face as if it were air. His body shimmered as he continued to smile, golden outlines appearing as if he were drawn. He slowly faded before just the lines were there before they do vanished. A chuckle a little further away behind her made her turn again to see him leaning against the wall. Her eyes narrowed, “What are you?”

“That doesn’t matter now,” he replied simply. “Now, you need to go shower. Make sure you look your finest for your husband.”

Natasha couldn’t help the nerves fluttering in her stomach. Hela had bound her wrists in the car ride over to make sure that she didn’t cause any trouble. Despite the fact that they were getting what they want, Natasha couldn’t help but notice they didn’t seem to thrilled by the exchange. It was later in the evening, the sun having gone down a while ago. The meeting was taking place in a park, that way there was nowhere for an ambush.

They pulled up alongside the curb, getting out. Hela kept a hand wrapped around Natasha’s upper arm. Loki led the way, walking towards the middle of the park, which was more of a field. From this distance there didn’t seem to be anyone waiting for them, but the duo trudged forward dragging Natasha forward. They came to a halt, waiting in silence. Crickets chirped around them, the occasional buzz around them. Doors slammed, drawing their attention towards the SUV that had pulled up on the other side of the park.

A group of people were walking towards them, Hela’s hand tightening on her arm. As they came closer, Natasha saw that it was Clint, Sharon, and Steve along with Maria Hill who she hadn’t seen since her own wedding years ago. They paused a few feet away, Steve at the head and holding a file. He cleared his throat before saying, “Let Natasha go and you can have this.”

“I want to make sure it is indeed what I want,” Loki replied stiffly.

“This isn’t up for negotiation,” Steve said.

“I know it’s not,” Loki said pointedly.

“Unbind her at least and we will hand you the file,” Clint snapped. This caused Steve to shoot him a reproachful look. The two glared at each other before Steve looked over at Loki and nodded once.

Loki glanced at Hela, nodding as well. She reached over and snapped the rope that held Natasha’s wrists together. She rubbed at them self-consciously but didn’t dare move otherwise, the tension in the air was so thick that it could have been cut with a knife.

Steve handed over the file, which Loki took greedily and opened to look inside. There was an envelope that was pretty thick inside of it along with paperwork filled with information. He flipped it shut, reaching back to grab Natasha and yanking her forward. As she passed by him, he whispered, “I’m sorry” before throwing her against them. She collapsed into Clint’s arms and when she looked back over her shoulder, the other two were gone.

Natasha curled against Clint’s chest in the car, the rocking motion plus the warmth from his chest made her tired. She was content, so incredibly happy that what Loki had said the night before was a lie. Clint’s hand ran up and down her bare arm, his lips meeting her forehead. He whispered in her hair, “Are you okay?”

“You’ve asked that a thousand times,” Natasha smiled.

“I know, I’m just worried about you,” he said softly.

“I’m okay,” she lifted herself up slightly and kissed his lips, it was chaste and quick, but it made her toes curl nonetheless. When she pulled back she smiled broadly at him, which he returned, if the smile was slightly smaller.

The SUV rocked a bit as they veered off the road before coming to a complete stop. Natasha looked around, noticing that they were in the middle of nowhere. She sat up a bit straighter, opening her mouth to ask a question but freezing when she saw Sharon facing her and aiming a gun at her head.

Natasha looked around and noticed that Steve hadn’t turned around and Clint was moving his hand away from her. Maria was still beside her, but out of the corner of her eye, she saw that her hand was on a gun as well. Natasha felt cold, cold as she hadn’t been before, “What is happening?”

“Where’s your bracelet Nat?” Clint asked.

“What?” Natasha frowned, staring at him in shock. She felt her chest aching, as if her heart were shattering. “Why do you care about that?”

“Because, sweetheart, you need to wear it,” Clint said quietly. His face looked solemn, “It’s important for you.”

“I feel better than I have in years!” Natasha yelled, “That bracelet was hurting me!”

“Well, it’s not gonna hurt when you die,” Sharon cocked the gun, “So there’s that.

Natasha had a split second to act, relying on instincts that she didn’t know she had. She launched into action, her elbow meeting Clint’s face and snapping his nose. She kicked out, hitting the gun into Sharon’s face. Steve was unbuckling his seat belt, getting into action. Natasha didn’t wait for him to get fully into action, launching herself at Maria who managed to fire a shot but it missed. Natasha’s hand closed around the handle of the door and they tumbled into the ground. Maria tried to grab for the gun again but Natasha grabbed it first and fired, hitting the other woman in the hip.

Without looking over her shoulder, her heart pounding and shattering in her chest, Natasha bolted into the forest.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This was a pretty fun chapter to write, though I still only have a general idea of where this story is going. There's a new character tag, so yay to that! Also, I'm heading back to work next week so fair warning if chapters do get spaced out a bit. I'm gonna try and not let that happen but my work can be crazy and I never know what the day is gonna be like.


	5. Crackling Reality

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm so sorry for the delay, life got in the way (hey, that rhymed). I will do better about posting regularly, this whole world thing is just starting to get outta hand (at least in america).

Natasha had no idea where she was. She simply ran, racing through the forest. She could hear yelling and cracking branches behind her, which only fueled the anxiety in her and the desperation to get away. There was a loud pop – a gunshot – and the branch next to her head exploded. Natasha ducked, tripping and falling to the ground. She struggled to get to her feet, thorns catching at her clothes and bare skin.

Before she was able to get to her feet, someone grabbed her hair, yanking her backwards. She screamed both in pain and fear, the sound quickly cut off as she was kicked in the abdomen. Natasha curled into herself, looking up to see Maria Hill. The other woman had a gun aimed at her, her eyes dark with rage. She kneeled down so that she was eye level with Natasha. “You know, Clint did fight this. He didn’t want to lose you. But you’re too much of a risk. Maybe in the next life, you won’t cause trouble and you can actually live a long life.”

She stood and there was a click as she switched off the safety. Natasha closed her eyes, knowing that she tried her best. But the gunshot never came, instead there was a hiss and the sound of crashing branches. Natasha opened her eyes to see Loki standing in front of her. Behind him the leaves smoked from the remnants of his magic. Loki grabbed her, heaving her to her feet. His hand cupped her cheek, “Are you okay?”

Natasha didn’t know what to say, tears filling her eyes. “They tried to kill me.”

“I know,” a crease formed in Loki’s forehead as his eyebrows drew together. His eyes flashed green and they became unfocused before they went back to their pale color. He looked at her, “We need to go, they’re closing in on us.”

“Nat!” Clint’s voice called.

She spun to see Clint standing a few feet away, he was covered in sweat, holding a gun aloft, and watching her with unblinking eyes. She shrunk back, her shoulder hit Loki’s chest. “Why did you do this?”

“You have no idea what can happen, it was for your safety – everyone’s safety.” Clint said, “I – we just want to keep you safe.”

“Oh yes, because poisoning your wife and lying and controlling her is the definition of protection. Let’s not forget that you are holding a gun, chasing her through a forest with the intent to kill her. Yes, protection.”

“You have no idea what you’re talking about,” Clint snapped.

“I think he has a point,” Hela emerged from the trees.

Natasha looked at Clint, really looked at him for the first time. She didn’t know what else she was feeling other than the thrum of her heart from adrenaline. It masked the pain that she had felt earlier in her chest. Standing here, in front of him, was uncomfortable. She wanted to run, to get away. She felt too vulnerable, too exposed in front of him.

Clint’s eyes darted between Loki, Hela, and Natasha, lingering on the latter, “Nat, come on. You know I would never hurt you.”

“You already did,” Natasha said.

His eyes darkened, his hand tightening on the gun in his hand. Before he could do anything, Loki grabbed her arm just as Hela spun towards her husband. There was a pull in her gut before the forest disappeared, the last thing she saw was Clint glowing in green energy and howling.

Once they were back in Loki’s place, Natasha’s resolve shattered. The adrenaline and fear that had kept her going vaporized. The heartbreak that had been lingering under the surface blossomed. It stole her breath, and buckled her knees. The first sob was loud, harsh in the quiet room. The tears had not stopped, only strengthened as they fell down her cheeks.

Loki hesitated beside the crying woman. He had no idea what to do. Natasha had every right to cry, to completely lose it. Her entire world had just crumpled around her. But he didn’t really know how to handle a crying – anyone. Hela would be busy hunting down the group that had tried to kill her, she wouldn’t be able to help even if she wanted to. Which, if Loki thought about it, would never happen. He tried to think, figure out some way to bring her comfort. She was covered in leaves and dirt, dried blood from scratches on her skin. She needed to get clean, something that might help her at least be able to relax and sleep.

“Come on,” Loki picked Natasha up, running his hand through her hair. “You need to get clean and we can get you a cup of tea, or something stronger if you want.”

Natasha nodded slowly as he guided her to the bathroom. He had her sit on top of the toilet as he turned on the shower, letting it run till it was a decent temperature. He dried his hand off on the towel next to the sink before kneeling so that he had to look up at her. “I will be just outside the door, okay?”

Natasha watched him for a bit before nodding again, her body shaking as she hiccupped. He hesitated before standing and leaving. As the door clicked shut, he leaned his back against it, listening. She got off the toilet, there was the sound of ruffling before the soft hiss of clothes sliding off skin before hitting the floor. Tentative footsteps followed in the running water. He pushed himself from the door and went to the room that she had stayed in, would now be staying in for the foreseeable future. He dug through the drawers, finding pants and a shirt. He didn’t bother with undergarments due to the fact that she didn’t need that type of restriction right now, and her privacy had already been snatched away from her. It was the little things.

He wandered back over to the door, waiting until the water stopped running. He heard her wrap herself in a towel, a small hiccup breaking the silence. He knocked, “I have clean clothes for you.”

A moment passed before the door opened slightly and he slid them through. It closed again and he listened as she changed. He wondered what it was like for her now, minus all of the emotional pain. Without the poison coursing through her veins, what was it like for her to be able to stand without pain? To change without assistance? He wished that the source of that physical pain wasn’t something that had caused the relief to be muted, he found himself strangely wanting her to be able to experience that miracle it was to be healthy.

The door opened again to reveal Natasha, the clothes hanging loosely off of her figure. Her red hair was wet, darkening the parts of her shirt that it came into contact with, ringlets peaking through under the weight. Her eyes found his. “Thank you, for helping me back there. And the clothes.”

“I’m sorry I handed you over when I suspected what would happen to you,” Loki said softly.

“It’s not any different than what I would have done in your position I suspect,” she looked down at the floor, her lashes sticking together after the shower. The edge of her face, next to her hair, still shined where she hadn’t dried it fully. “And I never would have believed you if you had kept me hear.”

Loki touched her cheek, “Tea?”

“Vodka,” she hiccupped again, but this time there was a small smile at the corner of her lips.

She never got to taste the vodka, she was asleep mere minutes after sitting on the couch. Loki drank his tea, jerking slightly when she moved in her sleep so that she was curled against his leg. He hesitated before deciding that she could stay, at least until she finished her tea. There was a soft pop from down the hall before Hela’s door opened, there was a bit of blood splatter on her face before she wiped it away with her sleeve.

She paused when she saw the pair of them and raised her eyebrows. Loki shrugged and whispered, “She was exhausted, I’ll move her in a bit. Did you take care of them?”

“Rogers got away, but Hill didn’t. Barton is still alive but he wishes he wasn’t, he won’t die for a while, but he’ll have to live with the same pain she did.” Hela whispered, picking up the abandoned glass of vodka and drinking it.

Loki smiled.


	6. The Puzzle

_There was a crack of thunder, lightning flashing across the sky. The light – however brief – helped her dodge the fallen tree. The bundle in her arm cried out as she stumbled. As much as it tore at her heart, she couldn’t stop to reassure. She had to keep going. She had to keep running._

_Another flash, but this was followed by a roar._

_There was pain. Screams. Loki’s face – which was covered in blood – was twisted in agony as he howled, but there was no sound. He could not. His lips were sewn together, ripping as he tried._

_The infant’s screams weren’t so silent._

Natasha jerked, finding herself in a bed, wrapped in sweat soaked sheets. She should get up, rinse off the sweat, and tell Loki about this. But she didn’t have the energy, she was exhausted. Her chest throbbed, and the thought of getting up made her eyes even heavier. She closed her eyes, she would tell him later.

It was dark when Natasha woke again. Her stomach clenched, making her realize that she couldn’t realize when was the last time she had eaten. She climbed out of the bed, venturing to the kitchen. She looked through the fridge finding…normal things. Bread, some cheese, sliced meat like ham. There were eggs, a carton of regular milk and oat milk. There were even some premade salads. Natasha didn’t know what she had been expecting, but this normalcy was…strange.

She grabbed some bread, butter, cheese, and sliced meat. She also grabbed some of the lettuce for some extra crunch. She didn’t bother to sit down before she began eating, stuffing her cheeks full.

“I see that it didn’t take long for you to make yourself at home,” Loki said. Natasha flinched, spinning around to see him leaning against the wall. Her cheeks were still incredibly stuffed and she could only murmur. Loki chuckled, raising his hands in surrender. “Sorry, didn’t mean to scare you.”

Natasha chewed quickly before gasping out, “I’m sorry, I was hungry and –“

“It’s fine,” Loki chuckled. “I’m just glad you are up. How are you feeling?”

Natasha was tempted to tell him about the nightmare, but there was something about her wanting to feel just desperately normal. She didn’t want to bring up a nightmare that was most likely the case of her anxiety. And so she pushed it to the side as she laughed and turned back to her sandwich, “I don’t really understand or even know how to feel.”

“I guess there really is no way to fill understand anything when you’ve been lied to the entire time,” Loki shrugged, walking past her to grab food himself.

“I just wish I knew why they did that to me,” Natasha shook her head.

“It is curious why they kept you so weak, why they wanted to kill you. Almost as if they were determined to hide you from something.” Loki sighed. “Whether that be from yourself or someone else.”

“I’m not anything special,” Natasha protested.

“You just might know about it,” Loki pointed out.

“Could they have been trying to keep me from you?” Natasha asked with a frown.

Loki paused, “Perhaps. But that begs the question as to why.”

“I don’t know,” Natasha shook her head, “What could be so important about me?”

“We’ll just have to figure that out,” Loki sighed, placing his hand on her shoulder. “And soon because I don’t think they’ll give up.”

Hela flipped through the files that she and Loki had collected when they had exchanged Natasha. She could hear the two of them talking in the kitchen. She knew that Loki would be focused on Natasha, and she would have to work on this by herself. The information in the file was jumbled, they had intentionally left out certain bits of information. What was here had certain blots of information black out, adding to the confusion. Hela had her laptop open in front of her, searching the Internet for more information to the story. There were tomes scattered around the rest of the desk, as a last resort.

It felt as though the files were a giant puzzle and she was struggling to put the pieces together. There were a few things that she had been able to figure out: someone was being held in protective custody with their identity and location hidden. This was in an effort to protect them from a group, some crime organization. But what Hela was really focusing on was the fact of a boss. There were only a few hints to him, nothing truly informative. But she continued to dig, focusing on words such as:

Family business.

Son.

Exiled.

War.

Return.

Rise.

Boss.

Hela’s pen clattered against the desk, thumping against the floor. Her chair squeaked as she leaned back. There was the sound of a plate falling into a sink with Natasha apologizing before Loki laughed, telling her it was fine. There was more laughing as they ventured further across the home, probably to get wine. Whatever else they said was drowned by Hela’s hammering heart. The clues were small but when one lives long enough, the minimal can become to the most important.

Hela knew who the boss was.

Thor.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I guess is the chapter where you will start to see changes to the tags? heheheh I have so many plans.


	7. Kiss Me Once

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A bit of filler but also one of my favorite things to write. And the scene that started this all.

Natasha watched the cubes in the glass click as they shifted, the whiskey lightening slightly from the added water. She lifted the glass up to her lips and took a long drink. It burned as it traveled down but she had finished half the glass already, thus the sensation was numbed. She looked over at Loki, who had his head tilted back as he listened to the music that fell from the Alexa that he had turned on earlier. He was incredibly relaxed, but she had no doubt that he was aware of her every move. Including the fact that she was looking at him.

Bach’s cello suite began to play, the gentle notes filling the room. Loki smiled gently, “Do you know how to dance?”

“Is that a trick question?” Natasha narrowed her eyes.

He laughed, standing and grabbing her hands. She allowed herself to be pulled up, smiling as he brought her close. His hand fell to her waist, his other still holding hers. After a breath he began to guide her through a slow, swaying dress. She didn’t need to be skilled in dancing to go along, but it didn’t hurt. It meant that she could focus more on Loki. And he was looking at her, his eyes the palest green. She had noticed before how handsome he was, but that had been when she was afraid of him. Now she was able to look at him without prejudice.

“You’re looking at me as though you have never seen me before,” Loki whispered.

“Maybe because I am,” she tiled her head and smiled, “The real question is, why are you looking at me in the same way?”

Loki smirked, “Oh no, I’ve seen you before. It’s just always a new experience whenever I do.”

“Does that line work with all the girls?” Natasha laughed.

“Only when I really want it to,” Loki leaned his head forward. “And I’m really trying now.”

“I think I might need a little more convincing,” Natasha bit her bottom lip.

Loki smiled broadly before closing the space between them, his lips crashing against hers. His hands tangled in her hair and gripped at her waist through her shirt. Natasha’s own hands gripped at the collar of his shirt, along with the bottom of it against his lower back.

Natasha couldn’t explain it, but the kiss felt intimately familiar. As though she had kissed Loki a thousand times before, and yet she still felt the galloping butterflies that came with kissing someone new. She sighed, leaning her head back as his lips trailed down her neck. He backed her against the wall, their gasps filling the room as the song changed. There was something about this that felt – not necessarily wrong – but rushed. There was the slightest bit of pain that came from this. But she wanted to drown it out, to forget that pain existed. It wasn’t only that, as Loki’s lips closed on hers again, it felt like coming home.

Loki leaned back, interrupting Natasha’s thoughts. She frowned, “Is something wrong?”

“I know,” he breathed heavily, his hands still roaming over her body. “I know that this isn’t the right time, in this moment, both regarding what you are going through and what we are doing but…I need to say this.”

“What is it?” Natasha felt the familiar pang of anxiety creeping up.

Loki’s hand cupped the side of her face, “I – I want whatever happens next will be with no strings. It is a moment, one we can remember and sometimes repeat, but that is all. No feelings that root deeper because if it.”

It pinched a bit, his words. She didn’t understand where it came from, it seemed almost like a reflex. But she ignored it because it was silly. Just mere hours ago he had abducted her than proceeded to save her life. There was nothing owed or any reason for strings. Her husband had tried to kill her. She wanted – no – she needed to forget about him and that pain. At least for a little while. “No strings.”

He smiled before kissing her enthusiastically and doing his best on making her forget her name.

_Natasha looked around as she was walking, surprised to see the streets entirely clear. It was the middle of the night, but the restaurants were locked with the lights off. There wasn’t anyone walking along the sidewalks, no cars passing through. There was nothing. She felt a chill, one that had nothing to do with the weather._

_“Natasha,” she spun to see a woman. She was different, her long light red hair fell down to her waist. She had a red leather cloak that fell to her ankles. Black pants wrapped around her pants with thick combat boots strapped to her lower legs. She looked familiar, but she was entirely foreign to her. The woman was eyeing her with a wary expression. “Natasha, what are you doing here?”_

_“Who are you?” Natasha looked around, “Where is here?”_

_The woman came close to her, her eyes darting rapidly, “You can’t be here.”_

_“Why not? What is happening?” Natasha asked, looking around, noticing a man not far off._

_The woman’s eyes softened and she cupped Natasha’s cheek. A small smile formed on her lips, “You shouldn’t be here but I am glad you are. Before you leave I’ll tell you my name so that you can remember me by. Wanda.”_

_Natasha flinched, that name sparking something within her that was unfamiliar. Before she could think on it further, she stumbled before falling into darkness._

Natasha woke up with a soft gasp, staring at the ceiling above her for a moment before realizing where she was. She looked next to her to see Loki curled next to her. She looked down and noticed that both her intertwined with one of his over her stomach. She felt her heart skip a beat as she looked at her stomach and thought of the name again.

Wanda.


End file.
